Cutting attachment for lawn-mowers



(No Model.)

0. G. BOG KUS. CUTTING ATTACHMENT FOR LAWN MOWERS. No. 431,836.

53 M6 uZHow-wys Patented July 8, 1890.

ibi I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES GERALD BOCKUS, OF POTTSTOIVN, PENNSYLVANIA.

CUTTING ATTACHMENT FQR LAWN-MOWERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 431,836, dated July 8, 1890.

Application filed August 2, 1889- Serial No. 319,555. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, CHARLES GERALD BOCK US, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, residing in Pottstown, Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, have invented an Improved Cutting Attachment for Lawn- Mowers, of which the following is a specification.

The main object of my invention is to provide alawn-mower with an attachment whereby the machine may be caused to cut close up to fences, Walls, borders of walks, or other obstruct-ions, places which are inaccessible to an ordinary lawn-mower, a special feature of construction of the attachment also permitting the machine to cut on an angle, as at the base of a terrace or bank.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side view of sufficient of a lawn-mower to illustrate my improved attachment. Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 1 2, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an end view of part of the frame of the attachment. Fig. 4 is a sectional plan view on the line 3 4, Fig. 1, and Fig. 5 is a view-illustrating a modification of the invention.

In Fig. 1, A represents part of the fixed frame of a lawn-mower, B one of the tractionwheels of the same, and D a cross-bar forming part of the fixed frame. To this crossbar are secured a pair of clamps F, the upper member of each of these clamps having a yoke a for the reception of the lower arm of a right-angled frame I), the upper end of which is confined to a bar G, constituting the main frame or carrier of the attachment forming the subject of my invention. The bar G has at the outer end a series of depending arms (I, f, and g, the arms d and f being bent at their lower ends, so as to provide proper supports for screws or bolts h h, the bolt 71. serving as a spindle for a wheel combining a friction-disk i and a spur-wheel 1', While the bolt h serves as the spindle for a spur-wheel m, meshing with the wheel 'i.

To the depending arm g is hung by means of a bolt 12 a frame H, which has bearings .93 for a vertical shaft J, the latter having at the upper end a spur-wheel 'n, meshing with the wheel on. At the lower end of the shaft is a cutting-blade K, preferably consisting of a hub with a number of curved or cimitershaped arms or blades, as shown in Fig. 4.

Secured to the bearing-lugs s of the frame H are a pair of cutter guards or shields M M, against which the blades of the knife K act in cutting, the outer one of these guards being also provided with a segmental shield t,which servesto prevent the blades from striking an obstruction beyond the machine or from cutting into a mound or bank adjacent to which the machine is working.

The attachment is applied to the machine in such position that the periphery of the friction-disk 2' is in driving contact with the rim or flange 2: on the outer face of the Wheel B, the cutting-blade K being beyond said wheel, so that it may be caused to work close up to a fence, wall, or other obstruction, and thus cut at points inaccessible to the ordinary machine. In cutting at the base of a bank, mound, or terrace the frame II may, on loosening the nut 10 on the bolt 19, be adjusted to any desired angle, and secured in this position after adjustment by tightening the nut, the spur-Wheels m and n havingtheir teeth curved or beveled, so as to permit of this an? gular adjustment of the frame without throwing the wheels out of mesh.

Various forms of gearing may be substituted for that shown in carrying out my invention. For instance, in Fig. 5 I have illustrated a machine in which the traction-wheel B is provided with a ring N, fitting snugly to the interior of the outer flange of the Wheel, so as to rotate therewith, this ring having a spur-wheel N, meshing into a spur-wheel P, carried by a short shaft adapted to a bearing on the arm-d of the bar G, this shaft being connected by a short section of flexible shafting S to the upper end of the vertical knifeshaft J, the flexible shaft permitting the angular adjustment of the frame H, as desired; or if such angular adjustment is not considered necessary bevel-gearing may be used for connecting the two shafts.

The devices which I have described as con stituting my invention may form a permanent part of a mowing or cutting machine, if desired, although mainly devised as an at tachment to be readily applied to or removed from an ordinary lawn-mower.

Having thus described my invention, I

claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. The combination of the lawn-mower having a traction-wheel and fixed frame with transverse bar, a supplementary cutter-shaft located beyond the traction-wheel, a bar having bearings for said cutter-shaft clamps, whereby said bar is detachably secured to the transverse bar of the fixed frame, and gearing whereby the supplementary cuttershaft is driven from the traction-wheel of the machine, substantially as specified.

2. The combination of the fixed frame of a lawn-mower, a traction-Wheel of the same, a bar projecting beyond the traction-Wheel, clamping means whereby said bar is detachably secured to the fixed frame of the mower, a cutter and cu tter-shaft carried by the outer portion of said bar, a friction-disk driven by contact with the outer edge of the peripheral portion of the traction-wheel, and spur-gearing whereby the movement of .said disk is transmitted to the cutter-shaft on the projecting bar, substantially as specified.

3. The combination of the fixed frame of the machine and its traction-wheel, the cutter and its shaft, gearing whereby the cuttershaft is driven from the traction-wheel, a bar carrying said cutter-shaft and gearing, depending arms on said bar, yokes in which said arms are adjustably secured, and clamps whereby said yokes are detachably secured to a bar of the fixed frame of the machine, substantially as specified.

4:. The combination of the fixed frame of the machine and its traction-Wheel, a bar carried by the fixed frame and extending beyond the traction-wheel, a cutter and cuttershaft carried by said bar, and fixed arms, one projecting inwardly and the otherprojeoting outwardly and both acting in conjunction with the cutter, the outer arm having at its outer end alaterally-proj ecting shield or guard for the cutter, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES GERALD BOUKUS. 

